West Cemetery: The most historic/sacred ground in Amherst
The Agricultural Commission was receptive to DPW Division Director of Trees & Grounds Alan Snow's proposal to allow sheep grazing in town cemeteries, an all natural way of keeping the green green grass at an acceptable height.
Ideally the town would use a mix of sheep and goats, since the latter "browse" and would consume weeds, shrubs and invasive species.
Our Civil War dead are buried in West Cemetery
The proposal is still very much in the preliminary stages. The next step is to seek permission of the Historical Commission. Snow believes there may be grant money available to help pay for the experiment, and if all goes well the critters could be munching away next spring.
This section of West Cemetery kept in a more "natural" state
Historic West Cemetery, where the older area is already kept in a more "natural" condition (cut only once per year) is envisioned as a test site.
Don't worry, the critters would not be given a key to the Dickinson family plot.
Emily Dickinson, "The Belle of Amherst," 2nd from left
16 comments:
Really????????
I cannot believe that the cemeteries have been allowed to deteriorate to this extent. What the hell are we paying taxes for? Vermin will infest and the weeds will take hold and the stones will fall apart. Have some respect and just mow the darn thing!
And now the town is going to be in the business of keeping livestock? And I assume this would require fencing? How would you like it if you went to visit your mother's grave and found a steaming pile of goat shit on it?
I don't think the town plans to buy a flock of sheep or a gaggle of goats. They would bring in outside vendors or try to find "volunteers."
Amherst, MA - the Rube Goldberg of planning and efficiency.
why would you need grant money to run some sheep and goats?
Allowing animals to shit on graves...really? What disrespect.
What a cool idea. Sounds interesting and creative, just like Amherst.
Richard Marsh.
Sarcasm requires its own special font. Usually.
Does town meeting have authority to defund the tree warden position? How much does that pay anyway? This guy is a joke.
The other joke is in Greenfield, Mark Snow.
No sarcasm Larry. I love Amherst, and I like old school traditions. RM
Guess folks think it's like a cartoon where goats and sheep make a perfect lawn. The reality is quite different. Sheep only eat select grass and won't eat much else. And they'll eat the bark off any trees. Goats are browsers and eat lots more including tree bark. And while they will eat grass they aren't great grass eaters and prefer brush but will also eat what you don't want eaten. Both will not manicure a lawn but will rather rip it up. In other words it will still need to be mowed. Goats will eat roots and make holes too. You'd need 60 goats to clear a half acre in a week or so (if it's the right vegetation) and then it won't be all pretty, but will look pretty ugly with patches of dirt where they dig roots and destroy plants. Goats are roamers and will walk around and eat selective stuff before going back and eating stuff you would have thought they'd eat the first time around. And of course hope you have no trees or you will have bare tree trunks. And you'd have to supplement the with other food too they won't get in a cemetery.
Who gets to right all the gravestones the beasts knock down? Foolishness!
Who pays for the righting of all the gravestones these beasts would certainly knock over?
http://www.politico.com/video/2013/08/congressional-cemetery-goats-did-they-work-006662
When this cemetery was new this is how is was kept. There were no mowers. It was all livestock.
Only in the Republic of Amherst. Progressives. Like the ones who gave us Prohibition.
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